Mercedes
Mercedes, better known as Mel, is a young Golden Retriever around Weed's age and his good friend. He is not the strongest of the Ouu soldiers, but one of the best swimmers. Personality Mel is a brave and loyal young dog. Mel was originally a bit timid puppy and a crybaby. He turned bitter after he believed his mother abandoned him and was manipulated by saviors Blue, Ned and Bell. Eventually, he realizes the importance of his mother and the way Blue treated him, giving him a change of attitude. True Mel is kind, good-hearted and polite. He becomes stronger and braver during the series. He starts to trust himself though occasionally he is slightly doubtful when facing something very dangerous. During these moments, he thinks about his deceased mother which gives him strength. Mel is helpful and always wants to be useful to others. Still, as he is quite small and young, he sometimes seems to think that there isn't much he can do and is very glad every time he is given a chance to do something useful. Ginga Densetsu Weed Manga Mel is the son of Lenny. As a puppy, he is given away to a family to become their pet. Unfortunately, the family abandons him in the woods because of his whining and cries for his mother. Mel joins the three rogue dogs Blue, Ned and Bell to get protection from the dangers of the wild. When he meets Weed and his mother, who came back for him, Mel attacks his mother in anger. When Mel was given a chance to kill his mother, he soon realizes that he has been tricked and starts a fight with the three rogue dogs. With Weed and GB's help, they defeat Ned and then Bell, while Blue gets run over by two trucks and killed. Mel now reunites with his mother. However, his mother dies shortly after from illness and Mel is nearly taken to the dog pound. The old Ohu soldier Smith saves him and brings him to Weed's pack whom Mel joins. In the search for Weed’s father Gin, Mel is left behind to guard Gajou Mountain. Here he meets the Kai-Ken Kurotora and his companions Shigure, Shouji, Dodo and Buru. Soon he finds out that the Great Dane Genba is approaching the fortress and together with Akame and Kurotora, he flees. On Akame’s order, Mel travels out to find Weed. As he goes through a village he meets the Mastiff, Moss who is an old friend on Gin. Mel tries to take him back, but Moss leaves Mer to find even more dogs to help. Mel then returns to find Weed and tell him everything. Because of Mel’s small size, Hougen attacks him several times during the last battle. Mel is lucky to survive and stays a loyal member of Weed's pack through-out the series. Anime Mel is a Golden Retriever puppy and a slave to Blue. He was forced to steal food for Blue and his comrades, until Weed showed up with Smith and GB. Ordered to attack by Blue, he does so, and Weed resists. Doing so, Weed teaches Mel about morality and makes him realize that he no longer should be a slave, and should stand up to Blue. This results in him escaping, after Hook comes to their rescue. After Blue is killed, Mel leaves Hook to join Weed, Smith, and GB on their journey toward Ohu. Mel becomes a good friend of Weed's, and stays behind at Gajou after Akame comes with news from Gin. Even though he is still a puppy, Mel has shown courage, especially in the defense of Gajou. He is considered an ohu soldier even though he is just a pup (Weed is also a pup but he is son of leader so he was born a soldier). He has beaten enemies twice his size. WEED Gaiden (Mel's Trip) Mel appears in his own adventure story which is set after his mother's death. As he searches for food in a neighbourhood, he meets the female pet dog, Jody who offers him her food and they talk a bit. Later that day, Mel witness Jody being beaten by two dangerous fugitives. Mer tries to defend Jody and the owners but he was kicked to the drain. The fugitives leaves Jody bleeding on the road while they kidnap her family and hold them as hostages. Mer who is unhurt is then asked by Jody to find the Dalmatian, Louis, who can help them. Jody is member of the organization ”Seigi”. The organization has only dogs and helps humans in need. Together with the group, Mer helps to rescue Jody's owners. After the rescue, he says a goodbye to Louis and goes off to Ohu alone. Ginga Densetsu Weed Orion Mel appears in Orion story as a disaster victim of the volcanic eruption and earthquakes. Though he had have survived from the disaster, but he was pinned from a big tree which fell on his body. Despite pleading with Weed to leave him behind, he was pulled out from the tree by Weed and Kyoushiro. Sometime after the incident, it is revealed that Mel and Kyoushiro have been taken into care by a human. They have been seen visiting Weed and Koyuki and Mel has grown up. Trivia *Even though his name is Mercedes in kanji his name spells Mel (probably a mistranslation of "Mer"). *Mercedes is considered a feminine name despite the fact that Mel is a male. Mel, however, is a unisex abbreviation for several masculine and feminine names. *While in the manga he is around Weed's age, in the anime he is clearly a bit younger than Weed. He is also more sensitive and scared in the anime version. See more pictures in Mel (Photo Gallery) Category:Ginga Densetsu Weed Characters Category:GDWO Characters Category:WEED Gaiden Characters Category:Ohu Soldiers Category:Dogs Category:Males Category:Golden Retriever Category:Pet Dogs Category:Surviving Characters (Anime)